I came across my first vintage postcards of South Africa a few weeks ago and they've gradually worked their way up the list to share. The cards themselves are beautiful, but one of the real bonuses for me was reading a bit into the history. I studied the Scramble For Africa for A-level history getting on for nearly 30 years ago and have forgotten a lot in that time, so it was interesting to delve back into that subject again.
The Raadzaal, Bloemfontein, c.1905
The postcard reads, "Hope to find you both well. I am very busy. Hoping to write a long letter next month."
Back of the Raadzaal postcard, showing a red 1d Edward VII Transvaal stamp.
Church Square, Pretoria, c.1904
The postcard reads, "The land of honey".
Back of the Pretoria postcard, showing a red 1d Edward VII Orange River Colony stamp. Orange River Colony was new to me, but a bit of research showed it to be a short-lived British colony, 1900 - 1910, which later became the Orange Free State Province within South Africa.
As always, 100's of vintage postcards can be found on my vintage postcards web site
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I am always amused by that type of message because I have seen it so often on postcards with only slight variations: "Hope to find you both well. I am very busy. Hoping to write a long letter next month."
ReplyDeleteBoth cards are very beautiful. I still have photos which were tinted like the cards. The messages are also a very interesting part.
ReplyDeleteGreat collection.
I was out of town and almost missed these gems. I lived in South Africa for a year back in the 1970s. I still have so many memories - good and bad. It's a beautiful and fascinating place.
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